March 2015

I think it’s safe to say that we are all fed up with the weather. The other night, my commute home from the city was a three-hour ordeal that left me wrung out. I feel like plans are made and changed at such a rapid-fire pace that my head is spinning. I am so glad that all I need is an Internet connection for me to work!

We reached out to our Registered Book Groups in our February mid-month newsletter to ask what they do about weather-related cancellations. Emily collected many of these responses in a blog that you can read here called “Winter Meeting Woes: Book Groups Share Strategies for Coping with Uncooperative Weather.” If you have a comment about what your group does when the weather gods do not cooperate, please drop us a note at [email protected] and [email protected] so we can continue to share your feedback. One group told us that they skip meetings from March to November to avoid winter woes!

My mom’s group, The AM Book Group of UWWE (University Women of West Essex), was scheduled to discuss UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY by Nancy Horan this week. When snow moved in, they moved their discussion of this title to September. Their schedule typically starts in October and runs through June, thus they tucked in an extra month on the front end. Since many of the group read the book in anticipation of this meeting, I am going to suggest that they listen to the book on audio as a refresher when September rolls around. I got this excellent tip from Margie Scott Tucker from the Books Inc. bookstore in northern California. She facilitates their Fourth Tuesday of the Month book group discussions in their Palo Alto store and has found that listening to a book before the meeting gives her an opportunity to ensure that her pronunciation of all names and locations is pitch perfect. I am sure that many of you, like me, create your own pronunciations for many words as you read. The audio gives you the opportunity to “sort these out” for your discussions.

From our recent poll, we know that many book groups enjoy reading mysteries and thrillers. Thus we are excited to share a two-tiered contest to celebrate the March 17th release of THE POCKET WIFE, debut author Susan Crawford's stylish psychological thriller about a bipolar woman who can't remember if she murdered her friend. Five Atlanta-area groups will have the chance to win up to 10 copies of the book, PLUS an in-person visit from Susan on the day of their discussion. An additional 20 readers from around the country will win a single copy of the book. Enter here by Wednesday, April 1st at noon ET for your chance to win.

By the way, I have read THE POCKET WIFE and agree that it compares well to THE SILENT WIFE, TURN OF MIND and BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. It’s edgy and can prompt a great conversation. I cannot wait until more people have read it and can talk about it with me!

Happy to share that our prize book in the “What’s Your Book Group Reading” Contest this month is CHINA DOLLS by Lisa See, which is just out in paperback. MANY of you came to love Lisa’s writing with SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN. In CHINA DOLLS, she tells the story of three friends, who help each other navigate unexpected challenges and shifting fortunes in 1938 San Francisco. When their dark secrets are exposed and the invisible thread of fate binds them even tighter, they find the strength and resilience to reach for their dreams. Lisa is doing an extensive book tour for the paperback launch. See if she will be in your area here. She also has some terrific backstory information on the book, which you can find here to enhance your discussion. Enter here by Wednesday, April 1st at noon ET and tell us what your book group read this month for your chance to win one of three sets of 12 books for your book group.

Speaking of great backstory, Jonathan Odell shared with us some feedback that he has gotten as he has been on the road and talking to book groups about his deeply moving book, MISS HAZEL AND THE ROSA PARKS LEAGUE. Set in pre-Civil Rights Mississippi, it's the story of a town, a people and a culture on the verge of a great change that begins with small things, like unexpected friendship. Our Bookreporter.com reviewer said that “this is a recommended read, especially for those who are looking for something that matches the intensity and offers the possibility for discussion that THE HELP brought to reading groups all over the world" (you can see the rest of that review here). Jonathan grew up in Mississippi, and he was kind enough to share his journey, as a "recovering racist" bringing himself toward a greater empathy and understanding of others who are like and unlike him. You can read his story here, and click here to watch a video where he further explores the issue of race in America, which is a very timely topic.

The winner in the contest to have dinner with Deeanne Gist to discuss her upcoming book TIFFANY GIRL --- on sale May 5th --- is Barbara from Orlando, Florida. We look forward to hearing from Barbara and her group about their evening with Deeanne in early May. For those who are curious about how Deeanne came to write TIFFANY GIRL, you can read an interview with her here. In our recent poll, 90 percent of you noted that you like to read historical fiction with your group, thus this book --- which looks into the world of Tiffany glass --- is a great one to explore.

Speaking of historical fiction, it’s been exciting to see the terrific sales success (four weeks and counting high up on the NYT Bestseller list) and reader feedback on Kristin Hannah’s book, THE NIGHTINGALE, which has been getting RAVE reviews; I had selected as a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. We have had readers weighing in on our Bookreporter.com Word of Mouth feature saying it deserves more than five stars! Kristin loves talking to book clubs, and you can click here to sign up to chat with her about THE NIGHTINGALE and her other books!

We have four new featured guides this month: A DANGEROUS PLACE by Jacqueline Winspear, THE DECISION by Wanda E. Brunstetter, THE WEDNESDAY GROUP by Sylvia True and MARGARITA WEDNESDAYS by Deborah Rodriguez. Click on each title to check those out and read more about them below.

For those of you who would like to expand your reading discussion with some Young Adult (YA) selections, we have one of our signature bookshelves with 20 suggested selections here. Looking for more great YA reads for yourself or for a teen in your life? Then check out our newly updated Young Adult Books You Want to Read feature, which spotlights books we’ve reviewed on our Teenreads.com site that we think adults may enjoy as well.

This Friday, March 6th, we’ll be announcing the titles in this year’s Bookreporter.com Spring Preview feature, with our first 24-hour contest going live on Tuesday the 10th at noon ET. You’ll have to check the site each day to see which title is being given away --- or you can sign up here for our Spring Preview newsletter to be notified when contests go live. We’ll be giving away a different book on select days until Tuesday, April 21st, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to be a winner!

We’ve updated our monthly Reading Roundup feature, which highlights selected titles from Indie Booksellers (Indie Next Picks), Librarians (LibraryReads), Target and Costco. This month’s top books are DEAD WAKE: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson, THE FIFTH GOSPEL by Ian Caldwell, CAT OUT OF HELL by Lynne Truss and THE POCKET WIFE, which we’re featuring in a special contest! Click here for the full list.

We’re curious. Does your book group have a public website? If so, can you send a link to both Emily and me? We would love to see what you are posting on there and give ideas for this to other books groups. Please also share whatever platform you used to build it on.

Next Tuesday night, I have been invited to attend “The Politically Incorrect Book Group” at the Clinton Bookshop to discuss THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OR ROBERT PEACE by Jeff Hobbs, which was one of my Bookreporter.com Bets On selections of 2014. I am so looking forward to hearing what these readers had to share about this truly wonderful book. As I interviewed Jeff back in May at BEA, I can share with the group some of his stories about writing it.

Fun outing last week with a wine tasting and cheese party to celebrate Laura Dave’s upcoming novel, EIGHT HUNDRED GRAPES (on sale: June 2nd), which is set at a vineyard. She had wines from three different vineyards to share, including one from where she wrote the book. She prepared topics on how to discuss the book with wine pairings, which we know will make this a book group delight. By the way, I learned it takes 800 grapes to make a bottle of red wine, hence the title of the book. She also described the winemaking process to me. Of course, I was envious that Laura got to spend time in the beautiful Sonoma Valley as she researched and wrote. I'm looking forward to reading this and sharing more about it with you! At the book's heart is a woman who has learned a devastating secret about her fiancé; she retreats home to the family vineyard where life there is not as she remembered it either. It sounds like a great storyline...and wine! More to come on THAT!

Next week we plan to announce the signup for our Book Group Speed Dating session at BookExpo America. We have a few more details to iron out, but are looking forward to sharing this third annual event with you…and we want to make it extra special as we celebrate our 15th anniversary!

Here’s to a great month of reading and we hope a "happens on-schedule" book discussion!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])

P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping for books, if you use the store links below, ReadingGroupGuides.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
 

We are celebrating the March 17th release of THE POCKET WIFE --- debut author Susan Crawford's stylish psychological thriller about a bipolar woman who can't remember if she murdered her friend --- with a special contest. Five groups in the Atlanta area will have the chance to win up to 10 copies, PLUS a visit from the author on the day of their discussion. An additional 20 readers will win a single copy of the book. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, April 1st at noon ET.

THE POCKET WIFE by Susan Crawford (Psychological Thriller)
A stylish psychological thriller with the compelling intrigue of THE SILENT WIFE and TURN OF MIND and the white-knuckle pacing of BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP --- in which a woman suffering from bipolar disorder cannot remember if she murdered her friend.

Dana Catrell is shocked when her neighbor Celia is brutally murdered. To Dana’s horror, she was the last person to see Celia alive. Suffering from mania, the result of her bipolar disorder, she has troubling holes in her memory, including what happened on the afternoon of Celia’s death.

Her husband’s odd behavior and the probing of Detective Jack Moss create further complications as she searches for answers. The closer she comes to piecing together the shards of her broken memory, the more Dana falls apart. Is there a murderer lurking inside her…or is there one out there in the shadows of reality, waiting to strike again?

A story of marriage, murder and madness, THE POCKET WIFE explores the world through the foggy lens of a woman on the edge.

-Click here for the reading group guide.
 

Each month, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Note: To be eligible to win, let us know the title of the book that YOUR book group is CURRENTLY reading, NOT the title we are giving away.

Our latest prize book is bestselling author Lisa See's CHINA DOLLS, now available in paperback! It's the story of three friends, who help each other navigate unexpected challenges and shifting fortunes in 1938 San Francisco. When their dark secrets are exposed and the invisible thread of fate binds them even tighter, they find the strength and resilience to reach for their dreams. Click here to enter by Wednesday, April 1st at noon ET.

CHINA DOLLS by Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
It’s 1938 in San Francisco: A world’s fair is preparing to open on Treasure Island, a war is brewing overseas, and the city is alive with possibilities. Grace, Helen and Ruby, three young women from very different backgrounds, meet by chance at the exclusive and glamorous Forbidden City nightclub. Grace Lee, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest with nothing but heartache, talent and a pair of dancing shoes. Helen Fong lives with her extended family in Chinatown, where her traditional parents insist that she guard her reputation like a piece of jade. The stunning Ruby Tom challenges the boundaries of convention at every turn with her defiant attitude and no-holds-barred ambition.

The girls become fast friends, relying on one another through unexpected challenges and shifting fortunes. When their dark secrets are exposed and the invisible thread of fate binds them even tighter, they find the strength and resilience to reach for their dreams. But after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, paranoia and suspicion threaten to destroy their lives, and a shocking act of betrayal changes everything.
 

A DANGEROUS PLACE: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Fiction)
Maisie Dobbs returns in a powerful story of political intrigue and personal tragedy: A brutal murder in the British garrison town of Gibraltar leads the investigator into a web of lies, deceit and danger.

Spring 1937. In the four years since she left England, Maisie Dobbs has experienced love, contentment, stability --- and the deepest tragedy a woman can endure. Now, all she wants is the peace she believes she might find by returning to India. But her sojourn in the hills of Darjeeling is cut short when her stepmother summons her home to England: Her aging father, Frankie Dobbs, is not getting any younger.

On a ship bound for England, Maisie realizes she isn’t ready to return. Against the wishes of the captain who warns her, “You will be alone in a most dangerous place,” she disembarks in Gibraltar. Though she is on her own, Maisie is far from alone: The British garrison town is teeming with refugees fleeing a brutal civil war across the border in Spain.

And the danger is very real. Days after Maisie’s arrival, a photographer and member of Gibraltar’s Sephardic Jewish community, Sebastian Babayoff, is murdered, and Maisie becomes entangled in the case, drawing the attention of the British Secret Service. Under the suspicious eye of a British agent, Maisie is pulled deeper into political intrigue on “the Rock” --- arguably Britain’s most important strategic territory --- and renews an uneasy acquaintance in the process. At a crossroads between her past and her future, Maisie must choose a direction, knowing that England is, for her, an equally dangerous place, but in quite a different way.

Note: We will be adding a discussion guide for this book very soon!
 

MISS HAZEL AND THE ROSA PARKS LEAGUE by Jonathan Odell (Historical Fiction)
Set in pre-Civil Rights Mississippi, MISS HAZEL AND THE ROSA PARKS LEAGUE is the story of two young mothers, Hazel and Vida --- one wealthy and white and the other poor and black --- who have only two things in common: the devastating loss of their children, and a deep and abiding loathing for one another.

Embittered and distrusting, Vida is harassed by Delphi’s racist sheriff and haunted by the son she lost to the world. Hazel, too, has lost a son and can’t keep a grip on her fractured life. After drunkenly crashing her car into a manger scene while gunning for the baby Jesus, Hazel is sedated and bed-ridden. Hazel’s husband hires Vida to keep tabs on his unpredictable wife and to care for his sole surviving son. Forced to spend time together with no one else to rely on, the two women find they have more in common than they thought, and together they turn Delphi on its head. It is the story of a town, a people, and a culture on the verge of a great change that begins with small things, like unexpected friendship.

For book groups: "...a recommended read, especially for those who are looking for something that matches the intensity and offers the possibility for discussion that THE HELP brought to reading groups all over the world."

-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read a blog post by Jonathan Odell about his journey from racism to empathy.
-Click here to watch a video of Jonathan Odell discussing race in America.
 

MARGARITA WEDNESDAYS: Making a New Life by the Mexican Sea by Deborah Rodriguez (Memoir)
Irreverent, blatantly honest and at times touching, MARGARITA WEDNESDAYS: Making a New Life by the Mexican Sea is the story of Deborah Rodriguez’s intimate and often hilarious journey of self-discovery and renewal after she is forced to flee Afghanistan in 2007. She first lands in California where she feels like a misfit and teeters on the edge of a nervous breakdown while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

From being told to commune with glowworms to fishing with a weed-smoking Indian on a reservation and working out with strippers, at the age of fifty Rodriguez decides to focus for the first time on who she really is and who, and where, she’s meant to be. She packs her life into her Mini Cooper and moves to a seaside town in Mexico. There she learns Spanish, finds new friends, new love and new family. She opens Tippy Toes, an overnight salon sensation, and in the magic of Mexico, she builds the life she never knew was possible --- a life on her own terms.

-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
 

THE NIGHINGALE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
In love we find out who we want to be.

In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious 18-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. THE NIGHTINGALE tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France --- a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read a Q&A with Kristin Hannah.
-Click here to share information about your book club and be eligible to have Kristin join your book club meeting by phone!
 

It’s been a brutal winter, and all this snow has made traveling nearly impossible. We got to wondering how book groups have been faring in these colder months, and what measures they’ve been taking to combat these precipitous obstacles. We asked our readers in last month’s registered newsletter to share their strategies, and we were delighted (but not surprised) to see that many of you seem to have this all figured out. Here, we share some of our reader feedback, and how you intrepid readers have been coping with this less-than-accommodating weather.
 

Young adult (YA) books aren't just for kids and the young at heart --- they're also great for book groups! In honor of GO SET A WATCHMAN, Harper Lee's forthcoming and long-awaited follow-up to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, we've rounded up 20 YA titles that are just as thought-provoking and compelling as their grownup counterparts. In addition to MOCKINGBIRD, we've included classics like THE GIVER, teen memoirs like Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s I AM MALALA, literary fiction like Printz Award winner I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, and even novels in verse like BROWN GIRL DREAMING. You're never too old to give YA a chance, and these books are sure to lend themselves to a great discussion with your group.
 

THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
I love it when authors take on new challenges and push their craft to a new level. That is what Kristin Hannah has done with THE NIGHTINGALE. About seven months into writing her first draft, she realized that this had the potential to be a bigger book than anything she had written before. The storyline of World War II France was giving her a wide landscape, and the characters of the two sisters were solid, but this was a story that was going to take time to tell. She wanted to look at the war through the eyes of women, as she felt that the subject had been told mainly through the lens of men in the past.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read a Q&A with the author.


CRAZY LOVE YOU by Lisa Unger (Fiction)
Lisa Unger has a knack for writing the kind of edgy psychological thriller that lures you in and wraps itself around you Then, just when you think I got this story nailed, she whooshes you off into another direction. When you settle there, you know you better not get comfortable. When I finished CRAZY LOVE YOU, I still was wondering if I got the ending right. I was paying rapt attention to the story, but what character was I supposed to rely upon?

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
-Click here to read a Q&A with the author.


MY SUNSHINE AWAY by M.O. Walsh (Fiction)
I was lucky enough to read MY SUNSHINE AWAY back in the spring of 2014, as I interviewed M.O. Walsh for the BEA Book Buzz session last May. When I read the title, I started humming the song “You Are My Sunshine,” which I learned is one of the state songs of Louisiana. Then I read the first line of the book, “There were four suspects in the rape of Lindy Simpson,” and I stopped thinking sunny thoughts.

-Click here to read more about the book.
-Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
 

March’s roundups of New in Paperback fiction titles include CHINA DOLLS by Lisa See, in which the lives of three friends are threatened by paranoia and suspicion after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, and a shocking act of betrayal changes everything; KEEP QUIET, Lisa Scottoline's emotionally gripping and complex story about one man's split-second decision to protect his son --- and the devastating consequences that follow; THE ONE & ONLY by Emily Giffin, in which the comfortable world of 33-year-old Shea Rigsby is upended when an unexpected tragedy strikes her tight-knit community, and she begins to wonder if the life she has chosen is really enough for her; and THE FORTUNE HUNTER, Daisy Goodwin's bestselling historical novel about a beautiful empress, a handsome horseman and a bluestocking heiress who form a passionate love triangle.

Among this month’s nonfiction offerings are THE NOBLE HUSTLE, Pulitzer finalist Colson Whitehead’s memoir of his search for meaning at high stakes poker tables, which he describes as “EAT, PRAY, LOVE for depressed shut-ins”; A BROKEN HALLELUJAH, Liel Leibovitz's meditation on Leonard Cohen --- the singer, his music, and the ideas and beliefs at its core; and FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO SEE, Rosemary Mahoney's memoir that tells the story of Braille Without Borders, the first school for the blind in Tibet, and of Sabriye Tenberken, the remarkable blind woman who founded the school.

-Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of March 2nd, March 9th, March 16th, March 23rd and March 30th.

 

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

THE BOOKSELLER by Cynthia Swanson (Fiction)
A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel reminiscent of Sliding Doors, THE BOOKSELLER follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizing alternate world of her dreams.

CHINA DOLLS by Lisa See (Historical Fiction)
The author of SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, PEONY IN LOVE and SHANGHAI GIRLS has garnered international acclaim for her great skill at rendering the intricate relationships of women and the complex meeting of history and fate. Now Lisa See’s highly anticipated novel, CHINA DOLLS, is available in paperback.

THE DECISION: Prairie State Friends, Book One by Wanda E. Brunstetter (Historical Fiction)
Starting over in a new Amish community after suffering terrible heartbreak is going well for Jonah Miller, until he falls in love with a woman who fears she cannot marry him and still care for her beloved, ailing grandmother.

THE LOST CHILD by Caryl Phillips (Fiction)
THE LOST CHILD is a multifaceted, deeply original response to Emily Brontë’s masterpiece, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, which gets at the heart of alienation, exile and family by transforming a classic into a profound story that is singularly its own.

MARGARITA WEDNESDAYS: Making a New Life by the Mexican Sea by Deborah Rodriguez (Memoir)
An inspiring follow-up memoir in the spirit of WILD from the author of international bestseller KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL about her quest to find herself after leaving her life behind in Afghanistan and starting over in Mexico.

MISS HAZEL AND THE ROSA PARKS LEAGUE by Jonathan Odell (Historical Fiction)
Set in pre-Civil Rights Mississippi, MISS HAZEL AND THE ROSA PARKS LEAGUE is the story of a town, a people and a culture on the verge of a great change that begins with small things, like unexpected friendship.

THE MOMENT OF EVERYTHING by Shelly King (Fiction)
THE MOMENT OF EVERYTHING is a funny, romantic novel about a young woman finding her calling while saving a used bookstore.

THE NAZI OFFICER'S WIFE: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith Hahn Beer with Susan Dworkin (Memoir)
A riveting new chapter in the history of the Holocaust --- the memoir of an Austrian Jewish woman who forged her identity and married a Nazi in order to survive the war years in plain sight in Nazi Germany.

THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an epic novel of love and war, spanning from the 1940s to the present day, and the secret lives of those who live in a small French town.

OVERWHELMED: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte (Sociology/Marriage & Family)
From a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter comes “a book for LEAN IN fans, and everyone who feels overwhelmed” (Booklist) --- now a New York Times bestseller.

THE POCKET WIFE by Susan Crawford (Psychological Thriller)
A story of marriage, murder and madness, THE POCKET WIFE explores the world through the foggy lens of a woman on the edge.

THE RELUCTANT MIDWIFE: A Hope River Novel by Patricia Harman (Historical Fiction)
Full of humor and compassion, THE RELUCTANT MIDWIFE is a moving tribute to the power of optimism and love to overcome the most trying circumstances and times, and is sure to please fans of the poignant "Call the Midwife" television series.

THE UNRAVELING OF MERCY LOUIS by Keija Parssinen (Psychological Suspense)
Evocative and unsettling, THE UNRAVELING OF MERCY LOUIS charts the downfall of one town’s golden girl while exploring the brutality and anxieties of girlhood in America.

THE WEDNESDAY GROUP by Sylvia True (Fiction)
An unputdownable debut novel about five women who meet in therapy to discuss the trials of being married to sex addicts.

THE WILD OATS PROJECT: One Woman's Midlife Quest for Passion at Any Cost by Robin Rinaldi (Self-Help)
What if for just one year you let desire call the shots? THE WILD OATS PROJECT is one woman’s journey to find out who she is --- without her husband.